Show-case.



C. H. SCHRAAG.

SHOW CASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10, 1915.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

alter/nu:

CH S HHHAG CODUMEIA PLANocR/um CHARLES H. SCHRAAG, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 JOSEPH KNITTEL SHOW CASE COMPANY, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHOW-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed April 10, 1915. S'erial'No. 20,506.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HIRAM SOHRAAG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Show- Cases, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates broadly to new and useful improvements in the construction of show and display cases or cabinets for merchandise and has particular reference to improvements in a means employed in holding the glass walls and top of the cases in assembled relation.

The primary object of the invention is the construction of a cabinet in which the front, end and top walls are formed of glass plates which are held in the proper assembled position to each other and. to the base of the case by fastening devices which are so constructed that it is unnecessary to pass any screws or equivalent fastening devices through the glass.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a novel form of corner piece or socket which is adapted to receive the meeting corners of three plates of glass and is so formed as to properly clamp all glass plates of any thickness within a reasonable range.

A further object and one essential to the efliciency of the case is the provision of a binding tape which is formed of ribbon steel or brass and is passed around the perimeter of the end walls and is terminally secured to the door frame at the rear of the case and to the supporting base thereof.

Another object is to so design the corner pieces or sockets that they will serve as guides for preventing the binding tape from slipping off the end walls.

A further object is the provision of a novel form of tensioning fastener for one end of the tape, whereby this member may be tightened about the end wall.

The above, and other incidental objects of a similar nature, which will be hereinafter more specifically treated are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particu larly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred em bodiment ofthis invention, as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts,

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken transversely through the case; Fig. 2 is a detail fragmentary section taken horizontally through the door frame of the case, illustrating in detail the tensioning fastener employed in holding the binding tape tightly around the end wall of the case; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the corner piece or socket looking at the bottom face thereof; Fig. 1 is a detail fragmentary section taken through one of the corner posts with the top and. end walls in position therein, the plane of the section being vertical and trans verse with respect to the casing; andFig. 5 is a detail fragmentary section taken through the corner piece and showing the interior of one of the compartments there- 'of to illustrate particularly the manner in which the binding tape is passed through the corner piece or socket.

While the corner pieces or sockets, binding tape and tensioning fastener therefor of the present invention, are applicable to almost any type of show case, of standard lines, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a particular embodiment of a show case in order that the manner in which the corner posts, tape and fastener therefor are employed may be thoroughly understood and appreciated. As shown best in Fig. 1,

the show case preferably includes a rectari-' gular base frame 10, a door frame 11, in which the slidable doors 12 are mounted and the front, end and top walls 13, 14: and 15 respectively which are formed of plate glass.

The base 10 includes parallel end walls 16 and the front and rear Walls 17 and 18. The bottom board 19 of the case is mounted upon the upper edges of these walls, being secured thereto in any desired manner. A

slab 20, of marble or any similar decorative material is secured to the front wall 17 A longitudinal, horizontally disposed supportingbeam 21 is secured by screws 22 to the rear wall 18 adjacent the upper edge thereof to support the door frame 11. The doors 12 are mounted in this frame in the well known manner and need not be further described, since they constitute no portion of this invention. The lower edge of the glass plate 13, which constitutes the front wall of the case, rests upon the upperedge ofthe front wall 17 of the base, as shown in Fig. 1 and is held against lateral movement thereon by the facing slab and a heading strip 22. The end walls 14 are mounted upon the upper edges of the end walls 16 of the base and are held against transverse movement thereon by means of beading strips 23, as shown in Fig. 1. The top wall 15 seats upon the upper edges of the walls 13 and 14 at its end and forward edge portions and rests upon the upper portion of the door frame 11 at its rear edge portion.

As a means for connecting the front corners of the glass plate walls 13, 14 and 15, I employ corner pieces or sockets of thetype shown in detail in Fig. 3, to which figure reference will now be had. The socketplate is formed in the nature of an L-shaped cast- "ing having a pair of spaced substantially L-shaped walls 24 and 25 which are connected at their upper edges by the L-shaped top plate 26. A relatively small "socket 27 is formed at the corner of the wall 25 so that the forward vertical edge of the front wall 13 will be securely and-firmly seated within the other adjacent portions of the walls 24 and 25 is adapted to receive the corner portion of the frontwall 13. In order that the corner piece may be employed with glass plates of different thicknesses, without having their efficiency impaired, I employ an L-shaped compensating spring 28, which is preferably formed of spring steel and is soldered or otherwise fastened at its corner portion to the inner face of the corner portion of the Wall 24 so that its two sides lie within the compartments A and B. A pair of adjusting screws 29 and 30 are threaded through the wall 24 so that the free arms of the compensating spring may be forced toward the wall 25 to hold the inserted plate of glass firmly thereagainst. From the foregoing description it will be seen that the corner piece or socket is adapted to be mounted on the upper edges of the front walls 13 and end wall 14 at the meeting corners thereof, and that the corner of the front wall may be disposed within the compartment B, while the corner of the end wall is disposed within the compartment A. Thus the corner piece serves to firmly and rigidly connect the end'and front walls tov each other.

The top wall 15 is seated upon the plate -corner piece and is held against movement thereon by a pair of fastening clips 31 and 32. These members 31 and 32 are substantially hook-shaped and are secured to the opposed portions of the wall 25 by screws 33 and the adjusting studs 34 which are eccentrically mounted thereon. As will be seen particularly upon reference to Fig. 4, the adjusting studs are provided with circular milled heads from the inner faces of which extend the circular bosses 35 which are of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the openings 36 formed in the shank portions of the clips. A bore 37 is formed in each stud and eccentrically with respect thereto for the reception of the screws 33. As will be apparent upon reference to Fig. 11, the space included between the bill 38 of each fastening device and the top wall 27 of the corner piece may be varied by loosening the screws 33 and rotating the eccentric stud. When the top wall 15 is positioned on the corner posts, it may be properly secured thereto by the clips in a manner which will now be obvious. preceding description will make it apparent that while the corner pieces serve to firmly connect the end and front walls to each other and to secure the top wall 15 against longitudinal movement thereon in either direction and transverse movement in one direc tion, it is necessary to provide some means for holding the rear portion of the top wall against transverse movement over the door frame and the end walls against movement away. from this member. In this connection there is provided for each end wall a binding tape 39 which is preferably, although not necessarily, formed from ribbon steel or brass and is seated at its intermediate portion in the corner piece, and is passed around the perimeter of the end wall. It will be seen that the corner piece serves as a holder or guide for preventing the displacement of the tape from the top or front edges of the end walls. The lower end of the tape is inserted in a receiving recess 40 formed in the upper edge of the front wall 17 of the base and is held therein by screws or equivalent fastening devices 41.

As a means for securing the upper and rear end of the tape to the door frame 12, I employ a tensioning device generally designated in Fig. l by the numeral 42. This member 42 which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2 includes an internally threaded sleeve or tube 43, the one end of which is bifurcated to receive the rear end of the tape which is held therein by means of a pin or equivalent fastening device 44. The rear end of the sleeve is adjustably secured to a head plate 45 by means of a scre 46 which passes freely through the head plate and threads into the sleeve. The head plate is positioned against the rear face of the door frame and is secured thereto by screws or similar fastening devices 4:7. The upper end of the head plate is provided with a forwardly ex- .tending and horizontally disposed lip 48 which is adapted to engage over the upper face of the top Wall 15 for holding this member against upward movement when the case is assembled. The sleeve 43 is freely slidable in a receiving bore 49 formed in the door frame so that the screw may be employed in drawing the sleeve rearwardly to :tighten the tape about the end wall.

After a perusal of the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it will now be seen that I have provided a glass wall show case or cabinet in which the glass walls are firmly and securely connected, not only to each other, but also to the door frame and base of the case, by means of fastening devices which are of relatively simple construction and are so designed that they may be readily applied to or removed from the glass wall and door frame and base of the case.

It will also be apparent that I have so designed the corner pieces or sockets that they may accommodate glass plates of varying thicknesses, without having their efliciency impaired in any way.

In reduction to practice, it has been found that the form of this invention illustrated in the drawings, and referred-to in the above description as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of this device will necessarily vary, it is desirable to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a corner socket for connecting the meeting corners of the walls of a casing, an ad ustable fastening clip for securlng a wall of the cas1ng agamst the outer face of the socket, said clip including a hook-shaped member having an aperture in its shank portion, a stud provided with a reduced boss seated within the aperture, and a screw passing freely through the stud and having threaded engagement with the socket, said Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

of the hook and the adjacent surface of the socket.

2. In a corner socket of the character described, a pair of substantially L-shaped walls, a top wall connecting the L-shaped walls for maintaining their corresponding portions in parallel spaced relation, whereby a pair of rectangularly opposed wall receiving compartments are defined between the L- shaped walls, a substantially L-shaped spring member arranged within the socket, there being an arm of the spring located within each of said compartments, and a pair of screws threaded through the inner L-shaped wall and engageable with the terminal portions of the frame, said screws being operable for varying the space included between the terminal portions of the spring and the outer L-shaped wall, whereby the socket may be accommodated to casings having walls of different thicknesses.

3. In a corner socket of the character de scribed, a pair of substantially L-shaped walls, a top wall connecting the L-shaped walls for maintaining their corresponding portions in parallel spaced relation, where by a pair of rectangularly opposed wall receiving compartments are defined between the L-shaped walls, a substantially L-shaped spring member arranged within the socket, there being an arm of the spring located within each of said compartments, and a pair of screws threaded through the inner L-shaped wall and engageable with the terminal portions of the frame, said screws being operable for varying the space included between the terminal portions of the spring and the outer L-shaped wall, whereby the socket may be accommodated to casings having walls of different thicknesses, and adjustable fastening clips carried by the outer Lshaped wall for securing a wall of a casing against the outer face of a socket, said clips being movable for accommodating casing walls of different thicknesses.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. H. SOHRAAG.

Washington, D. C. 

